Rating: 
Summary: Sad.. sad
Review: After reading it, I lost my appetite to write a review. I was disturbed by the reality of our life. What's wrong with us adults..?This is not so much about the pregnancy or the birth. 17-year-old Kate is secretly pregnant and her younger sister, Tyler, delivered the baby. That concludes early in the book. So does the half-mystery of "who's the father and why the secret". (I won't spoil) But this is more about the events that happened and how the people involved responded to them, which eventually resulted in the sad mess. The girls' mother, Diedrie, succumbed to breast cancer two years ago. Their father, Davis, broken, couldn't stay in the house because he misses her so much. So most of the time the girls are left alone in the house, tending to themselves. Fear of total abandonment and potential repercussion made Kate decided to keep the baby a secret inspite of the health risks. When the secret is uncovered, also quite early in the story, the rest of the book moves from one character to another - pondering about what each has overlooked, selfishly neglected, misunderstood, mistakenly acted, and the consequences of it all. Somehow it revolves around the dead Diedrie and her untimely death. I hope we learn something from stories like this. I have to say that Inclan's writing is almost extraordinary. Characters are developed well, nevermind how hopelessly pathetic but unfortunately realistic they are. She's able to present to us the deep thoughts, fragile emotions, and hidden subconsciousness of the characters. This kind of storytelling only books can deliver.
Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful, thought-provoking story
Review: I hope Jessica Barksdale Inclan writes a lot of books, because I have a feeling she'll become one of my favorite authors. I absolutely devoured this book. As someone else said, the relationships were so well done and so real, you just felt as if you knew these people, and you CARED, tremendously, about them. The sisters were especially terrific. Their actions and their reactions were understandable. I never once found myself asking "why on earth would she DO that?" To me, that's the test of a great book. This is also a book that makes you think, and when you add that element to terrific story telling, you've got a real winner. Thank you, Ms. Barksdale Inclan for one of the best novels of women's fiction I've read this year.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: I love this book and reccommend to anyone...much liek go ask alice you can find anythign int his bok that may realte to someone you know...i oved it and it was passed to me by a friend i intend to do the same:)
Rating:
Summary: Her Daughter's Eyes
Review: I think that "Her Daughter's Eyes," was not only a very intersting book but also provided a look into the heart, and foundation of a troubled family. The reason I liked this story so much was the thought of how much it relates to everyday situations and problems that teenagers face. Kate is a seventeen year-old living a completely opposite life than all of her friends. She has struggled everyday of her life since the loss of her mother, and now that she finds out she is pregnant, Kate feels completely alone, except for the fact of her younger sister Tyler who has stuck by her side since the beginning. Kate and Tyler have planned for this baby without the help of the unknown, and unsuspecting father. Kate sometimes finds herself crying due to the fact that nobody notices her or the changes she is undergoing. Kate is at the point where she almost wants somebody to know, and to realize her well kept secret, but imagines that when the newborn is in her arms that somehow, someday everything will be alright. This story is more than the hardships of a teenager, but the compassion, ignorance, and emptiness experienced by many young people daily. Even though this is thought to be a fictional book it almost is not in the same sense. This is a real life situation that is not glamourized in any way, this can happen to the best of us or the worst, it is a story of life, and that is the reason why I am able to relate to the story so well.
Rating:
Summary: Failing to see the big picture
Review: If there is any book that defines "lack of communication" this is it. Reeling from his wife's death a year ago, a middle aged father (Davis) neglects his responsibilities to his very own teenaged girls in favor of accommodating the arms and needs of a new love, Hannah. Unfortunately, his unresolved grief, coupled with his sexual appetite, obstructs all common sense and basic observation skills. Choosing to spend most of his time (and nights) at Hannah's home, he basically has abandoned his own children for the needs of Hannah's young boys and her special interests. He drops by his own house to do the minimum; some yard work, pay bills, and maybe share a hastily purchased pizza which must be gobbled quickly before "Hannah" reminds him they must rush off to pick up her boys from day care. His quick check that the house was still standing sufficed for quality time parenting and reassurance that the girls were "just fine." Well, a closer look would have confirmed an extraordinarily different picture. The girls are deeply grieving for their mom, lonely, frightened and spending almost every night alone without their father. Physically, they manage to get by with the money he throws at them for food and necessities, but their world is crashing down on them. As children, they make decisions as children would; albeit unsupervised children. The eldest is pregnant and successfully concealing it from not only her father, but Hannah, (one experienced in pregnancy) her teachers and the father of the child, who just so happens to be the next door neighbor and father of the children she babysits. Choosing to conceal the pregnancy AND birth, Kate has convinced her younger sister to assist her through it all. Together, they educate themselves with the birthing process and succeed to bring about Kate's new daughter in secret. It is inconceivable that the father ignored the many indicators that something was amiss. Many adults were involved in these girl's lives, and all of them missed the obvious. This is a very sad, passionately told story. The concept of blame and punishment could produce another story, as one contemplates the legal and moral ramifications of the neglect the children suffered. While one may emotionally tangle with that issue, please don't fail to notice the poignant reflections of the pain, heartbreak and joy that the girls experience together upon the birth of the baby girl. When the dust clears, and everyone must take stock of the situation, it is quite clear that another innocent child has entered the "picture".
Rating:
Summary: Her Daughter's Eyes
Review: Jessica Barksdale Inclan wrote an exquisite novel about reality situations and conflicts present in some teenage lives and families. Every time that one problem seems to be resolved, it is followed by another. Kate Phillips, only 17, finds herself pregnant and afraid to tell her father. With her mother falling victim of cancer, and her father always gone, she turns to her sister Tyler, only 15. When the baby is finally delivered by just the two of them, and no medical help, the conflicts begin to roll in. Kate and Tyler's secret is tucked away in a closet, a baby named Deirdre. When their secret is discovered, their lives and many others, are twisted into an emotional roller coaster. Their father has to fight to regain custody of his two daughters, and Baby Deirdre. Not only is Davis, the father, faced with problems of regaining his daughter, but also with grieving and responsibility. The problem of baby Deirdre's father also evolves. When the father is determined, lives change. Her Daughter's Eyes, is filled with life, death, love, pain, loneliness and happiness. There are conflicts in the novel dealing with teenage pregnancy, loss of a mother, and the battle to hold on to something loved. Her Daughter's Eyes is a book that was beautifully written with heartfelt and warming emotions, and still conveys the cold-hard truth. It is a book any teenager, or adult, could truly enjoy, and maybe, relate to.
Rating:
Summary: Her Daughter's Eyes
Review: Jessica Barksdale Inclan wrote an exquisite novel about reality situations and conflicts present in some teenage lives and families. Every time that one problem seems to be resolved, it is followed by another. Kate Phillips, only 17, finds herself pregnant and afraid to tell her father. With her mother falling victim of cancer, and her father always gone, she turns to her sister Tyler, only 15. When the baby is finally delivered by just the two of them, and no medical help, the conflicts begin to roll in. Kate and Tyler's secret is tucked away in a closet, a baby named Deirdre. When their secret is discovered, their lives and many others, are twisted into an emotional roller coaster. Their father has to fight to regain custody of his two daughters, and Baby Deirdre. Not only is Davis, the father, faced with problems of regaining his daughter, but also with grieving and responsibility. The problem of baby Deirdre's father also evolves. When the father is determined, lives change. Her Daughter's Eyes, is filled with life, death, love, pain, loneliness and happiness. There are conflicts in the novel dealing with teenage pregnancy, loss of a mother, and the battle to hold on to something loved. Her Daughter's Eyes is a book that was beautifully written with heartfelt and warming emotions, and still conveys the cold-hard truth. It is a book any teenager, or adult, could truly enjoy, and maybe, relate to.
Rating: 
Summary: Didn't Quite Deliver
Review: Kate Phillips is one unfortunate 17-year old. She and her 15-year-old sister, Tyler, are basically left to fend for themselves since their mother has died of breast cancer and their father seems to be only interested in burying his grief by running to his girlfriend. As if this virtual abandonment wasn't enough, Kate is pregnant. She has decided that no one but her sister is to help her with her delivery, and thinks that by careful maneuvering, she can keep her father from knowing about the baby once it is born. Amazingly enough, no one seems to notice that Kate is pregnant-not her father, not her teachers, not her friends. Their luck seems to hold for a time since they manage to keep the baby a secret for a time even after it is born. Yet ultimately, Kate's family and everyone else involved with the baby must come to a painful reckoning about Kate's pregnancy, its underlying causes, and how to deal with its raw and uncertain aftermath. Anyone who picks up "Her Daughter's Eyes" will be struck by it unusual and supremely thought-provoking plot line. With a multitude of teen pregnancy stories around, it is to the author's credit that she has found her own memorable take on the topic. Certainly, "Her Daughter's Eyes" does begin well. The first few chapters paint a skilled picture of Kate and Tyler's troubled hidden lives, and Inclan's juxtaposing of opposing details (like the girls relaxing over chocolate milkshakes and yet frantically memorizing a pregnancy guide from Goodwill) makes Kate and Tyler's "journey" one that readers must keep following. Unfortunately, this can't-put-downable style does not stay for the rest of the novel. Once Kate's baby is discovered (and especially once the baby's father is involved), the plot line slows to a crawl. Inclan spends much of the middle and latter parts of the book in various characters' heads, and not everyone's thoughts make for chapters as masterful as those at the book's beginning. Basically, everyone's "inner dialogue" becomes repetitive and falsely flowery. Kate's thoughts understandably center on being with and being able to keep her baby, the baby's father's anguished state of mind makes for constant regrets that he's ruined his life, and Kate's father mourns endlessly for his wife and his mistakes. All of these thoughts are valid, and could be effectively included, but a capable novelist will make sure that character perspectives are included often enough to show personalities and feelings effectively...but not so often that many pages seem awfully similar to the last. The ending of this book was also disappointing. After all of the complex problems plaguing Kate's family were discussed, I thought the ending should have been a thorough, thoughtful exploration of how Kate and her family's life changed and how Kate's life took a new direction. It wasn't...instead, after a too-long middle, the book rushed to a lukewarm, shamelessly cliche conclusion about how Kate was "stronger now." The book has two strikes against it-repetive character revelations and a shockingly weak ending. But it still has its luminous moments, a unique plot idea, and a memorable beginning. It really deserves about 2.7 stars.
Rating:
Summary: Great summer read.
Review: Loved this book. The relationships - sister to sister; dad to daughter, teacher to student - were so real. I could imagine all this happening in the home next door. Jessica is a rare writer and I hope to read many future books. Why only four stars - truly, I haven't read a five star book in years. So four is tops with me.
Rating:
Summary: In her daughter's eyes
Review: Now that's a story... Though there are many teenage stories lining bookstore and library shelves, this one is different, both in plot and in language. Inclan's metaphors open up the lives of sisters, daughters, neighbors, friends, husbands and wives. The story that unfolds is tragic but all too true, with blame to be had by someone or everyone, but you're not often sure for on every page there is a feeling you've had, a thought you've thought or a hurt you can identify with, even if you can't condone it.
And there there is the biggest character in this book, the one who never says a line of dialogue or appears on the stage in real time. Deidrde, the mother, lover, gardener who took life and transplanted it wherever she went until cancer ravaged her once and then again, finally pulling her away from her workaholic husband and her two young daughters, one, the youngest, is taught to be strong and be a helper, another just hurts, watching as Deidre slips away. There are others who love her too, who stick their toes in her dirt, delight in her laugh. But when she's gone, the world seems all too silent and her house and her family fall apart, unraveling little by little until only one yank will destroy them.
Sleeping in the closet in a onsie from Goodwill is that yank, a baby with her mother's eyes.
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